The political feud between Rivers State
Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his former ally, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of
the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), continues to intensify, with Fubara
asserting that Rivers State belongs to all its people, not any one individual.
This
comes after a series of public exchanges between the two politicians, who were
once close allies.
At the center of the conflict is Fubara’s assertion that Rivers
State cannot be controlled by any one person, following comments made by Wike
during a civic reception in Port Harcourt.
Wike,
the immediate past governor of the state, had ridiculed Fubara’s support for
the Action Peoples Party (APP), a smaller party in comparison to the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP), which both politicians have long been associated with.
Wike
also claimed to have been the key figure behind the PDP structure in the state
and took credit for most of the ongoing projects in Rivers.
In
response, Fubara firmly rejected Wike’s assertions, making it clear that his
administration was responsible for several major developments, and that the
state could not be treated as anyone’s enterprise.
Fubara
made his remarks during an inter-denominational church thanksgiving service in
Port Harcourt, marking Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day celebrations.
Addressing the congregation, Fubara said: “Rivers State is nobody’s enterprise. It belongs to all of us. No one individual or group owns the soul of this state, and no one can control it like a personal estate. We have to stand strong and protect what belongs to all of us.”
This statement was seen as a direct response to Wike, who had
implied that he still held sway over the state’s political direction, even
after leaving office.
Fubara
further emphasized that his administration was making progress in developing
Rivers State, contrary to Wike’s claim that most of the ongoing projects were
initiated by him.
To
correct the “false narrative,” Fubara provided detailed information about the
key projects his administration was overseeing.
He clarified that he was responsible for securing a N200 billion loan from Zenith Bank to fund the 50.15-kilometer Port Harcourt Ring Road project, a major infrastructure development aimed at easing traffic and boosting the state’s economy.
“It
is Fubara who signed the papers to borrow from Zenith Bank for the construction
of the Port Harcourt Ring Road. So, it is my project,” he stated.
Fubara
also revealed that his administration had embarked on the Trans-Kalabari Road
project, a significant infrastructure development worth N225.1 billion.
This
project, he explained, had been delayed for years but was now fully underway
under his leadership.
“They
only built a bridge from Krakrama, but I am the one completing the entire
span,” he added.
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